Technology is awesome, but summer is better! Who remembers being so excited to go outside that putting on socks AND shoes seemed to take FOREVER? What about playing basketball or touch football into the early evening? Trips to the beach (or lake)? Playing on the tire swing? Biking to far-away places with friends?

The magic of summer, is taking advantage of the moment. Maybe you have some extra time on your hands? At the very least, you have extra daylight! If you have kids, you know that they have too much time! And they need intervention if all they are doing involves couches or bean bags.

Plan outings in advance, and follow through!

When you plan to go somewhere, take a little time in advance to make the event go smoothly and therefore be more fun for everyone. Three great ways to do this are 1) Determine possible weather scenarios and pack accordingly. There’s nothing worse than being too cold or too hot to have fun. 2) If you are allowed, pack drinks and snacks for the event, the day before. Usually, having your own waters and healthy snacks will save you lots of money, and will keep the crew content, and less-tempted to eat junk food later. 3) Figure out the schedule, and keep on it. If you have loved ones who take too long, move their schedule up to ensure the general schedule isn’t affected. In other words, tell Tiffany to be ready by 10 am if you need her ready by noon. Then be prepared to help everyone stay on schedule the day you need to depart.

Do something you haven’t done in a while…

When did you last go roller skating? To the battering cage? Bowling? How about kite-flying? Maybe, these would be a new or different experience for someone else in your family? Decide to go out and re-try your hand at something. You’ll have fun and maybe, strike a new interest for someone else.

Help others.

There’s almost no greater feeling than that of giving to someone in need. Some people even argue that giving isn’t altruistic, because we derive so much pleasure from it. To that, I say – who cares? We should want a world that gives. We should encourage that kind of pleasure, because it’s at least, two-sided. If you’re like me, though, you might not know exactly where to look for opportunities to give. Here are some resources you might want to try:

https://www.eventbrite.com/ Event Brite is a great site that enables you to set up events with tickets and everything. It’s also a great place to find local events where you can help the causes you care about.

….or any of your favorite organizations or charities – a little research and you will find yourself helping before you know it.

We also have a great idea for kids this summer (and beyond!) – we are offering TNT Kids Fitness Boot Camp program, which gives you a little time to yourself, and gives your kids fun and fitness! We teach how to exercise, help kids gain better fitness, and also have a STARS program, where kids are rewarded for their Academics, Fitness, Healthy Eating, and good Home behaviors!

We’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out at 626-335-1400 – we look forward to it!